Should you go to Thailand?

Last April, my boyfriend and I went to Thailand! It was my first time there, while my boyfriend had visited once before. Two years ago, I traveled to Bali, Indonesia, which was also my first time in Asia. At the time, it was the most beautiful trip I had ever taken. It was very special to experience a culture that was so different from what I was used to (I’m from Europe, so it truly felt like a completely different world). Because of that, I was very curious to see what I would think of Thailand. I had heard several people say that, in some ways, it can be compared to Indonesia. In this post, I’ll share our experiences in Thailand and answer the question: should you go to Thailand?

Bangkok

Our trip started in Bangkok, the capital of Thailand. As soon as we arrived, I was immediately impressed. It’s a very busy city, but luckily we were already used to that from Bali. There is truly so much to do in Bangkok. Every few meters you’ll find a nice restaurant, café, or of course, a 7/11. One tip though: if a local approaches you on the street, don’t engage too much. Apparently, it’s quite common for this to be some kind of scam. We unfortunately fell for it ourselves and ended up getting scammed by a tuk-tuk driver.

While in Bangkok, we visited several temples, ate amazing food, explored the night market, and went out at night. Personally, I wouldn’t skip Bangkok if you’re traveling to Thailand. I really enjoyed the contrast between a busy city like Bangkok and the calmer, more relaxed destinations like Railay and Ko Yao Noi, which I’ll talk about next.

Railay

Railay was a place my boyfriend had visited before, and he had already told me that he definitely wanted to return there this time. And I completely understand why; Railay is truly the perfect place to relax and unwind. It has a beautiful beach where you can kayak and go rock climbing. There are also countless places where you can order cocktails, other drinks, and delicious food.

During our stay in Railay, we went to a Muay Thai fight. For people who enjoy kickboxing, this can be really interesting to watch. I’m personally not a huge fan of kickboxing, but I still really enjoyed experiencing it at least once!

Ao Nang

Ao Nang was originally supposed to be just a stopover for us before heading to Ko Yao Noi. However, we actually liked it so much that we decided to stay a few extra days. During our stay, we visited an elephant sanctuary, which was very impressive. One important thing to mention: if you visit an elephant sanctuary, make sure you choose an ethical one. Some places still allow people to ride elephants, but this has long been considered unethical and harmful to the animals. For us, simply being able to get close to the elephants and feed them was already an unforgettable experience, so I would definitely recommend it.

Ao Nang also has a beautiful landscape to explore. You can see mountains and jungle scenery in the distance while driving around, which makes the area feel very special.

Koh Yao Noi

After that, we continued our journey to Ko Yao Noi. Ko Yao Noi is a relatively non-touristy island, and it ended up being our favorite destination of the entire trip. The island has beautiful beaches, and during our stay we also went on a boat tour with a local guide named “Alex” (not his real name, but he uses it because it’s more practical, haha).

He took us by boat to several beautiful islands near Ko Yao Noi. We got to snorkel there, which was absolutely stunning — the fish came incredibly close to us — and we also saw wild monkeys. So if you ever visit Ko Yao Noi, I would definitely recommend booking a tour with Alex.

While we were on the island, it was Songkran, the Thai New Year. In larger cities like Bangkok, people celebrate by going into the streets and spraying each other with water guns. Since Ko Yao Noi is much smaller and less touristy than Bangkok, it wasn’t really celebrated there in the same way. However, there was one place hosting a ladyboy show with tasty snacks and drinks. Even though it wasn’t a huge celebration, we still really enjoyed the show and the atmosphere.

Koh Tao

Our second-to-last destination was Koh Tao, also known as the “murder island” because of several tourists who disappeared there in the past. At first, I was honestly a little nervous about visiting the island because of the stories you read online. However, I have to say that it turned out to be completely fine. I never felt unsafe there at all.

This island is much more touristy than the previous places I mentioned (except for Bangkok). Along the beach, there’s a long street filled with bars, restaurants, and places where you can simply relax. You can definitely tell that it’s more of a party destination. Further into the island, there’s a nightlife area that we also visited for a bit. There are also many places where you can play pool if that’s something you enjoy.

If you prefer quieter destinations, I probably wouldn’t recommend Koh Tao. But if you enjoy nightlife or are looking for some variety during your trip, then Koh Tao is a great option. You can also snorkel beautifully there. At most beaches, you pay a small fee to enter and rent snorkeling equipment, and then you can enjoy it all day long.

Khao Sok

Our final destination was Khao Sok, which was, in my opinion, the most beautiful place we visited in Thailand. In Khao Sok, there are several organizations where you can book an overnight stay in floating bungalows on the water. First, we had to travel about an hour by boat to reach our location. Once we arrived, we were assigned our own bungalow, and we could immediately jump into the water in front of it to cool off.

There were also several tours we could join. The first one took us through a cave, and the next day we hiked through the jungle to visit a waterfall. Unfortunately, the waterfall was dry because of the season. What impressed me the most were the boat rides themselves, seeing all the enormous limestone cliffs rising out of the water. I would absolutely not skip this destination, because it is simply breathtaking to experience in person.

Now that I’ve highlighted all of our destinations and shared our experiences, I can definitely conclude that I would highly recommend Thailand! Thailand offers such a beautiful mix of sightseeing, relaxing, delicious local food, culture, and variety. One thing you do need to be prepared for is the amount of traveling between destinations if you want to see different parts of the country. We traveled with backpacks, which made everything much more practical. But all the traveling is absolutely worth it, because you get to experience so many beautiful and unforgettable places.